If you struggle to pray, be encouraged—God wants to help you!
Writing as a sympathetic guide, Kevin Halloran shows how gospel truths speak to your prayer struggles, diagnoses issues of the heart that hinder true prayer, and gives practical tips for moving forward. Pinpoint areas of weakness in your prayer life—from distraction and disorganization to guilt and anxiety—and take immediate steps to overcome them.
We learn:
how gospel truths speak into our common struggles in prayer
how we can move forward in prayer in practical ways
how believers from past and present have overcome obstacles, persevered in prayer, and grown in their love for God
Examine your heart, implement practical measures, and experience the joys of faithfully drawing near to God.
When Prayer Is a Struggle: A Practical Guide for Overcoming Obstacles in Prayer from P&R Publishing is available in the following places:
1. I Forget Why Prayer Matters (click link to read / listen)
2. I Don’t Know What to Pray
3. I Feel Too Guilty to Pray
4. I’m Not Sure God Hears Me
5. I Have Mixed Motives
6. I Can’t Focus
7. I’m So Unorganized
8. I’m Too Stressed
9. I’m Too Busy
Tim Challies: “A very relevant and very applicable guide to prayer… we would at times all benefit from this book… I believe that through this book, God will… help you fight through your struggles and learn to enjoy prayer as one of his most precious gifts.”
Martin Williams of Reformed Theological College (Australia): “As I was reading When Prayer Is a Struggle, I felt as if I had both a fellow traveller and struggler on the journey with me and a wise coach and mentor to guide me on the path to a better, deeper, and richer communion with God in prayer. Each chapter ends with a prayer and questions for reflection making this ideal for use in a small group. This is one of the most helpful and insightful, approachable and practical books I have read on prayer. Highly recommended.”
Macarisms Blog: “This is a book to read slowly, carefully, and prayerfully! I sometimes skim-read books, but I’m taking my time with this one… I’ve read it once and I’m beginning to make some changes when it comes to prayer. I plan to read it again with a view to also encouraging others around me.”
John Beeson: “I love the last few chapters which offer very practical helps for distraction or not knowing what to pray. I’ve downloaded the PrayerMate app because of Halloran’s note that this is what he uses to keep himself on track in his prayer life and I have benefited from it… I want a better prayer life. Don’t you? If so, I commend When Prayer is a Struggle to you.”
Bill Pence: “Everyone experiences some struggles in their prayer life. I highly recommend this new book for the practical suggestions to help with those struggles.”
AverageChristian.net: “Kevin Halloran has written an eminently helpful and encouraging book on how to handle the most common difficulties with prayer. This is one of the most practical and approachable books on prayer I have read. I highly recommend it!”
NobleFam41 on Apple Books: “Fantastic read w/ great applications! I loved reading… When Prayer is a Struggle. This book is a fantastic read filled with many biblically-based applications to grow in the exercise of prayer and in your relationship with God. I highly recommend this book and have purchased several copies for friends and co-workers.”
Andrew Gilmore, Amazon Reviewer: “I pray every day for a few minutes in the morning, but even so I culled several great tips and strategies for enhancing my quiet time from God. And I can already see the fruit in my prayer life. Christians new and old will find useful advice in this book.“
Marianne, Amazon Reviewer: “What I love about Kevin is his transparency and humility! The book is very Christ, gospel centered which is what it’s all about! I also like the fact that he is never legalistic, all about grace. The Holy Spirit is the one who convicts and draws us into a deeper relationship but He also uses books like this to help us see our weaknesses and give us ideas to improve on our prayer life! A must read! I know it has helped me so much!”
BookSojourner on Instagram: “When Prayer is a Struggle is short but impactful. Halloran provides many helpful tips and recommendations that should immensely benefit believers who struggle to pray… I LOVE how practical (and biblical) this book is! Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I highly recommend it! It will help you diagnose the issue hindering your prayers and equip you with biblical and practical tools to overcome them. It’s an excellent book to have in your library and revisit whenever you struggle with prayer.”
April on Goodreads: “I heard an interview with this author on the B.A.R. Podcast. This book on prayer is ridiculously simple!!! And super helpful! Especially the chapters on distraction and anxiety because both of those are huge issues for me and absolutely have a detrimental effect on my prayer life. I really enjoyed this book!”
Reviews Mentioning Small Groups
Pastor and Author Benjamin Vrbicek on Amazon: “This would be a great book for pastors to read as they think about their own prayer life, the life of prayer in their worship services, and the discipleship meetings they have. It might also be a great book for small groups.”
Little By Little Blog: “Since I’ve read the book [as part of an online small group] and started praying more regularly, I am noticing changes in my life and the power and presence of God… if you have any doubts in your walk with God or prayer journey, then I highly recommend you read this book!”
Jack, Small Group Leader: “When Prayer Is a Struggle encouraged our small group! We found the book to be quite thought provoking and it stimulated many great conversations. We all came through the book finding it quite rich and helpful as we move forward to step up our prayer lives.”
Endorsements
“Kevin Halloran has brought together a treasure chest of wise and practical counsel that will deepen your prayers… Kevin will help you bring structure and purpose to your prayer life. He will show you how to use any sense of failure you feel to help, rather than hinder, your prayers. This book will expand your horizons and give you a new vision for how you can engage more effectively in prayer.”—Colin S. Smith in the foreword
“Prayer is a challenge for me, as it is for most Christians, probably because we fail to fully feel just how dependent we are on God. Kevin Halloran’s book offers a wise combination of theological reflection and practical helps . . . both intended to drive us to our knees in prayer to the One who knows and loves us.” — Trevin Wax, General Editor of The Gospel Project, Author of Rethink Your Self, This Is Our Time, and Gospel-Centered Teaching
“Let me be honest: my heart’s reaction to another book about prayer is that I’d rather spend more time praying than reading about prayer. As I was reading When Prayer is a Struggle, however, I felt as if I had a friend leading me on a path to pray more, to pray better, to pray until I could pray. I just couldn’t put it down, except for pausing regularly to pray about a particular truth or with the prayers at the end of every chapter. Before I started, I wasn’t aware of how much I needed the wisdom deposited in this book. More importantly, I feel motivated (and more prepared) to spend more time before the throne. And for that, I’m so thankful to the Lord for moving Kevin to write it.”— Jairo Namnún, Director for International Coalitions, The Gospel Coalition
“Kevin’s book on prayer is incredibly heartfelt. He is a praying person, and it makes me want to be a prayerful person too. Offering us practical wisdom for growing in the discipline of prayer, Kevin writes with a pastoral heart and an obvious love for God. I now have several takeaways that I’m eager to use when I pray!” — Kristen Wetherell, Author of Fight Your Fears and Coauthor of Hope When It Hurts